Sleuth is a sideways glance at the city every week, it's the truth, but Sleuth's truth. He's several people all at once. Sometimes Sleuth even gets serious @mcrsleuth
SLEUTH’S VALENCIAN IDEA
A chum of Sleuth’s was in Valencia and spotted a good-looking coffee shop with free wi-fi and the works. She settled in, looked up and laughed. The name of the coffee shop was Café Bastard or Bastard Coffee & Kitchen. “Aye, it made me laugh, there seemed no explanation but this could be the next big thing in Manchester and people could match themselves to the expletive, maybe Café Twat or Café Dick something like that?” “Yeah and major chains could call themselves Café Tax-Avoiding Bastards?” said Sleuth. Apparently that Valencian place was a proper good Bastard.
Café Bastards
SLEUTH’S EYE-CATCHING PALACE HOTEL DETAIL
Sleuth popped into the launch of the new menu from Luke Cowdrey and Justin Crawford, the Volta boys, at the Refuge in the Palace Hotel. The terracotta tiles and glazed brick dazzled him and he couldn’t help stroking the columns and the fixtures and fittings until he realised the staff were looking at him oddly. As were the guests. After all, one should never stroke a column in public. But what was almost as dazzling was a fitting inside Cowdrey’s man-bag. “Is that a rainbow pencil case with eyes?” asked Sleuth. “It is,” said Cowdrey, extracting, appropriately a pen. Sleuth couldn’t help smiling as he imagined what the senior executives of the hotel group - who've just pumped £25m into the hotel - must think of their new food and drink curators when they see this charming accessory.
A restaurateur's accessory
A peek into the magnificent Palace Hotel project
SLEUTH’S RACIAL CONFUSION OF THE WEEK
Sleuth picked up a Zimbabwean public school group at Castlefield Youth Hostel to take them on a tour of Manchester. A chap approached as he entered and said, “Are you the guide?” “Yes,” I said, “are you the leader?” “No,” said the charming man, “he’s white.” Sleuth literally had no idea how to reply to this and was starting to say, I don’t think that matters, but only got as far as, “I don’t…” when the man said, “He’s David White.” David White was mixed-race. Sleuth loves the world, give him multi-culture not mono-culture every time.
SLEUTH’S TOUR OF THE WEEK
The Zimbabwean’s turned out to be the tour of the week, maybe of the month, in terms of its unusual character. “We’re one of two bagpipe bands in the country,” said David White. “We’ve been up to Glasgow and the World Bagpipe Championships, first time, we came ninth in our category, which we thought was excellent given we’ve just taken it up. School was founded by a Scot, you see.” The kids were teenagers of all different ages and some had skateboards which they were allowed to bring on the tour, so as Sleuth walked the streets of the city, young Zimbabweans would swish by to coalesce around him when he stopped to talk. It was all quite delightful.
Zimbabwean pipe band
SLEUTH'S PIQUED INTEREST
Sleuth was reading this story about plans for a new M&S Food Hall in Spinningfields, and was surprised to see non-other than Barcelona and ex-Manchester United defender Gerard Pique striding past the Granny Smiths. Perhaps the Spanish international is planning to following his former gaffa Pep Guardiola up to Manchester. How exciting, thought Sleuth, though he imagines Pique's wife Shakira will be non too chuffed by the six foot brunette.
Mr Pique loves Percy Pigs
SLEUTH'S PERI-PERI POOR CHOICE
Speaking of United footballers, the brother of Sleuth’s colleague, L’Oreal Blackett, this week reunited with his former United youth teammates, Jesse Lingard and 'The Great Returned One', Paul Pogba. The three decided to nip out for a bite to eat, somewhere quiet, where the world's most expensive footballer and his pals could remain relatively inconspicuous and unbothered. Naturally, being footballers and being in Manchester, the group only had two choices: San Carlo or Nando's. Both in the city centre, of course, but shouldn't be many folk around. So off to Nando's they popped, where they were soon joined by an army of paparazzo and a kid's birthday party decked out in United kits.
Sleuth reckons next time, should they wish for some peace and quiet, they should try Spud-U-Like in the Arndale Food Court.
Pogba and pals popping out for a quiet bite...
SLEUTH’S BALLS-UP OF THE WEEK
A new 13ft ‘Welcome To Altrincham’ metal monolith has been erected in Altrincham town centre. The art installation - inscribed ‘Altrincham Market Town 1290’ - has gone up outside Altrincham Interchange, though Sleuth hears some residents aren't too pleased. Not only because Trafford Council dropped £16k on the 'vanity project' whilst cutting public services, but also because there's a spelling mistake. Whoops. Pass the Tipp-Ex.
Is that an extra 'M'?
SLEUTH'S BAD TIMING
Sleuth likes unfortunate timing. The national Graphene Institute commemorative book has just been published. It has a foreword from George Osborne, the former Chancellor of the Exchequer. He wrote that foreword before Brexit, confident of his position. Let's hope the confidence in Graphene as the wonder material is better placed.
SLEUTH AND THE REMARKABLE EDGAR WOOD
By coincidence Sleuth had been in Glasgow over the weekend where poor old Charles Rennie Mackintosh has been turned into something akin to The Beatles in Liverpool. They can get very cultish, those west coast cities, something Manchester would never do with the Hacienda and the Madchester years – no never in a million years. Anyway, on Thursday Sleuth was in Middleton, five miles out of the city, viewing Manchester’s Mackintosh, although in some ways more original, Edgar Wood (read here). Look, here, dear Confidential readers how the gorgeous Redcroft, the architect’s own home, for a time has been restored. More work needs to be done in Middleton and across Greater Manchester to make Wood’s name and talent better known, but Sleuth is convinced the indefatigable enthusiasm of the Edgar Wood Society will see it done.
The remarkable Edgar Wood's Middleton home
SLEUTH’S PICTURES OF THE WEEK (AKA GETTING HIGH IN MANCHESTER)
Sleuth was invited by Adam Posner to soar in smooth lifts to the terrace of accountants KPMG at One St Peter’s Square. Sleuth was delighted to accept and here are some of the pics. What a view. More to follow...
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